Blood and Water
by Shurikenyounot
Summary: Starting at college is never easy. Especially when a melancholic Gaara and Hyperactive Lee get a room together. Naruto AU. Rated M for future chapters, but it's LeexGaara GaaraxLee!
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

This is my first story on here, and the third time I've tried to upload it! Sorry, I'm not used to this website yet!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto *cries*  
Italics : Thoughts or emphasis  
Bold Italics: Inner voices  
Bold : Time/Location/POV shifts

"What." Gaara said softly.

"I said, you're going to College. Konohagakure College, to be exact." Mr. Sabaku stated calmly.

"I can't deal with you right now, you demon. So you're leaving."

"And if I refuse?"

"That won't happen, will it, monster?" Mr. Sabaku said, his voice cooler than ice, laced with danger.

"Tch," Gaara retorted, crossing his arms.

He wasn't going to allow this man provoke him.

But he also wasn't just going to stand there and take it.

"I'll be downstairs, packing, then. When do I start, Bastard-Geezer?"

The older Sabaku's eyes narrowed at this, and replied "The day after tomorrow, Bakemono."

Gaara nodded his head in acknowledgement, then strode down to his bedroom, the Basement.

 _That bastard. One day he will pay. I swear on my honour._

 ** _Honour? You have honour?_**

 ** _Ha. ha. ha. Don't make me laugh._**

 _Zip it, Shukaku._

 _ **What? I'm only messing.**_ Shukaku sneered.

 **Meanwhile...**

Rock Lee stood in his small apartment room, gazing at the letter his parents had sent him from their latest vacation spot, Ghana.

 _Blah blah, adventure...wildlife... amazing sights..._

Lee had heard all of this nonsensical babble before. He wondered if his parents ever felt bad, leaving their only child, to fend for himself from the age of seven whilst they blew all their money on holidays together.

 _'And honey,'_ the letter said _'We decided to pay for you to go to a nice college._

 _We know that it's short notice, but it's a great opportunity! The address is somewhere in this letter, and it starts the day after tomorrow!_

 _Love ya!_

 _From, your parents. Xoxoxox'_

Lee sighed, and picked up the envelope from the letter. sure enough there was an address stuck to the inside.

" _Konohagakure_ College?" Lee read.

On the back of the address held a wad of money, totalling at 2000 pounds.

"Woah!" Lee was surprised. He had always lived with one foot in poverty, his parents never usually gave him money, food, or anything! And here they were giving him _£2000_! On what planet did _that_ ever happen?

"Why the change of heart? Did they finally realise how deprived they left me?" Lee pondered aloud, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"...Wait, the day after tomorrow? _Shit!_ I better get packing!"

Bakemono - 'Monster', basically.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Yoruki.


	2. Chapter 2: Roommates

**It has been decreed that HATES me. Yup, I had the exact same problem AGAIN. *screams into Dakimakura***

 **Disclaimer: I may not own Naruto, but I could totally own Masashi K with my sick rhymes, they're better than Killer B's, Baka-yarou, Kono-yarou! (okay, maybe not...)**

 **Italics: Thoughts or emphasis**

 **Bold: a/n or Change in setting, time or POV**

 **Bold Italics: Inner voicer/Demons/Biju, etc**

 **Gaara's POV**

That Sunday, Konohagakure's housing building was incredibly boisterous. As the sun rose to its highest point, future students were roughly crammed into the whitewashed halls, and the sounds of teen chatter that were familiar to all, could be heard in every room.

These sounds, however, were not familiar to Gaara at all.

He may have looked calm and collected on the surface, but inside, he was really panicking!

 _What the hell? Are teenagers always this noisy?_

 _ **Yup. You should have seen yourself when those cursed hormones kicked in!**_

 _Not now, Shukaku._

 _ **Yeah, yeah, only messing with you. As always. Come on, take a joke!**_

 _Whatever._

Gaara carefully scurried to his designated room and collapsed in a heap on one of the beds, slinging his rucksack to the floor. Because the room was a double-share, he wondered what his new roommate would be like. He hoped they wouldn't be too annoying, or high-strung.

After sitting calmly on his naked mattress in vacant thought for some time, Gaara sighed, swung his legs off the bed, and walked over to the large window between the two beds, gazing out at the sky and taking note its beauty, its silence, even if the ground was riddled with noise.

 _Better wait for that Room-mate..._

 **Lee's POV**

Lee casually jogged up to Konohagakure's housing building, bag in hand. Being the green, athletic person that he was, he never missed out on exercising, if he had the chance.

He manoeuvred his way between the bustling people, something he was used to. Living in the poorer parts of town had its perks - he had better street skills than the average person.

In a short amount of time he had found the room he was looking for, Room 3B. As he opened the door slowly, he quickly noticed that there was someone already inhabiting it.

The stranger turned, and the light from the window struck them, revealing them to be a vibrant-red-haired young man, who had dark circles around his eyes, either there due to eye-liner or lack of sleep. The sharp, striking and rebellious green/blue eyes that he held made him look dangerous, mysterious and secretive.

Lee loved describing things. His A+ in English further proved that.

"Ah, I am sorry. I must have the wrong room! Can you please tell me where 3B is?"

The young man hesitated, then said softly, "This is 3B, we must be room-mates."

Lee laughed heartily at his mistake, and merrily strode inside the room. He offered the red haired individual his hand to shake, which the young man did.

Lee smiled in delight, and the Red head looked him in the eyes and a puzzled expression rose to his face, "You are...?" the smaller boy asked.

"Rock Lee! It is nice to meet you, ...er, did you mention your name?" Lee laughed nervously.

"Gaara." Gaara informed him.

"I see, Gaara, then?" He nodded. "A pleasure." Lee smiled once more, and it was obvious to anyone that a friendship had bloomed.

I couldn't think of what a room for two people would be called, so I called it a double-share. *shrugs* I think it's catchy.

We all know Gaara is small, My kawaii Tanuki-chan is not allowed to be tall. So, in this, He is about 5'6, Lee is about a head taller. *evil laughter*

*Laughs at bad pun* Blooms. The Lotus of Konoha. *sniggers*

Yoruki.


	3. Chapter 3: First Day Thoughts

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own £3.66! :sulks because I'm broke:**_

 _ **Italics: Thoughts or emphasis**_

 _ **Bold: Time, location, POV shifts**_

 _ **Bold Italics: Inner voices/ Author notes**_

 _ **(In case you were wondering, this fic is set in England!)**_

 _ **(Real talk at the bottom, A/N)**_

* * *

 **Lee POV**

The next morning, Lee awoke to his buzzing alarm clock, and was immediately filled with joy.

It was his first day at College!

He peered over to his room-mate's bed to see that it was bare, like the day before. He decided that the dark rings around his room-mate's eyes were _definitely_ from lack of sleep.

Said room-mate was gazing wistfully out of the window, fully dressed. He regarded Lee for a moment, before turning back to view the cool block of glass once again. Lee decided to strike up a conversation.

"How are you today? Are you feeling as excited as I am about today?" Lee inquired.

"I'm good. Not sure if 'excited' is the right word, though." Gaara answered.

"Why is that?" Lee said, tilting his head to the side.

Gaara didn't respond.

"Well, I have world studies 1st period, what do you have?" Lee asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I have that too."

"Excellent! Do you want to eat breakfast together in the canteen?"

"Sure." Was Gaara's reply.

With a smile, Lee watched Gaara grab a red scarf from his bag before getting up and out of bed himself.

"Ready when you are." Gaara said, leaning against the frame of the door.

Lee pulled on a pair of grey jeans and a green shirt.

"Ready."

* * *

 **Gaara POV**

Because it was the first day, first year students weren't really required to bring any books. Gaara moved to sit in the back-right of the room, and his roommate followed suit.

A dark skinned man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail walked into the room. He had a long, deep scar that ran across his nose from cheek to cheek, and gentle, caring eyes. He casually walked over to the desk at the front of the room quietly.

As the teacher opened his mouth to speak, a loud voice yelled out, "Hey, Iruka! Long-time no see!"

The entire class turned to the back-left as the voice was revealed to be a tall blond, who was sitting sloppily behind his desk. Gaara could see that in the boy's open bag, there were cups and cups of Ramen. Gaara rolled his eyes.

 _Well he's obviously ready for life at College_ , he thought sarcastically.

He looked closer at the blond, and realised it was none other than Naruto, his acquaintance from high-school. Well, the blond had called him a _friend_ , but he refused to believe that. He had learned long ago that he didn't need such things.

The scarred teacher blushed, but then his face lit up in delight when he recognised the identity of the speaker. The delight swiftly turned to playful anger.

"Naruto! Don't shout out in class!" He scolded.

"Good morning students, welcome to World studies. My name is Iruka Umino, but you may call me Iruka, or _Iruka-sensei_ , since the first topic we will be looking at is culture in Japan!" He laughed softly at his joke.

"Just as an ice-breaker, where's everyone from? If you are from England, please state where." Mr. Umino said. Gaara couldn't call him Iruka, or even _Iruka-sensei_ , even in his thoughts.

Mr. Umino motioned for all of the students to speak, row by row. He reached Naruto, and Gaara eagerly waited for the bombshell.

"I'm from Japan, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned cheerfully. Most of the students turned around again, this time in shock. They obviously hadn't expected him to be from Japan. It wasn't surprising. When he had first met Naruto, he was just as shocked. The boy had bright blond hair, vibrant blue eyes and sun-kissed skin. He looked more like a foreigner, than a person of Japanese descent!

"…I moved to England a while ago, but I just can't shake my 'dattebayo' catchphrase! My mum used to always do it too!" Naruto said proudly. Ever since he had learnt about his mother, he would bring her up a lot. It annoyed Gaara quite a bit, but he knew the blond meant no harm. Like himself, Naruto's mother had died moments after giving birth to him, so Gaara felt an invisible connection to the boisterous blond. Besides, the blond had done a good job of saving him from himself a couple of times in the past. He would have gone insane and locked up, or possibly dead if it wasn't for that glowing, loud, happy, tele-tubby sun. Gaara smiled softly, imagining Naruto as the sun on said children's show.

Mr. Umino got to his roommate.

"I am from China, and I moved here roughly 10 years ago! I do not, however, remember any Chinese, so please do not ask me!" the bowl-cut announced, just as cheerfully as Naruto had done.

When his teacher got to him, Gaara had simply said, "Japan."

* * *

 **Sometime later, Lunch.**

Gaara walked out of his last lesson for the day. He had free time after lunch, and was thinking about how he was to spend it. He eventually decided to go to the canteen, like he had done that morning.

Getting a coffee from the machine, he sat down by the windowsill, viewing the land like he had done countless times throughout the day.

Being alone was better for him. It left him, there were less . . . inconveniences.

But just because there were less troubles, didn't exactly mean that he enjoyed it. He sighed.

 _It could be worse. At least I'm not homesick._

* * *

 _ **Aww, Lonely Gaara!**_

 _ **If you don't know what teletubbies is, open a new tab and search it, children's shows are creepy! *shudders***_

 _ **Since Bruce Lee is from China, and because this information is actually necessary to the plot, I decided to roll with that. I don't think his parents have been very responsible in this fic, leaving a 7 year old in a foreign country, but ehh. *shrugs***_

 _ **I have a reason why they move around so much, I promise!**_

 _ **I've decided that Gaara loves looking out windows, because c'mon, when you heat sand it turns into glass.**_

 _ **Real talk.**_

 _ **I have conflicting ideas on where this FF goes, because it can go two ways.**_

 _ **They fall in love, or they're just friends. Which do you want it to be? I don't mind which.**_

 _ **I might just go one way, and post the other later, after I've finished writing one route.**_

 _ **I hope you liked this slightly longer chapter! 898 words, without the a/n!**_

 _ **Yoruki.**_


	4. Chapter 4: We Find Him, Kowareta

_**Disclaimer: -insert witty line here- Yup, I haven't even got a cool disclaimer line today. –sulks-**_

 _ **Italics: Thoughts or emphasis**_

 _ **Bold: Time, location, POV shifts**_

 _ **Bold Italics: Inner voices/ Author notes**_

 _ **PS= I'm sorry if there is any incorrect spellings or grammar, writing at 2:54am when you can't sleep is not always the best plan. I've tried to proof-read it, but I may have made a mistake because unfortunately, I'm only human.**_

 **Lee's POV**

It was Tuesday, and much to Lee's delight, both he and Gaara had virtually the same classes all day! He couldn't wait! Lee smiled happily as he and his roommate quickly prepared their bags for the lessons ahead.

"Hey, you must really enjoy reading, ne?" Lee asked as he saw Gaara stuff almost nine books in his bag.

"Yeah, it's all I do at home. I write, too." Gaara said softly, almost mumbling.

"How youthful!" Lee beamed, and Gaara shook his head.

"You…" Lee's large grin grew impossibly bigger as Gaara cracked a small smile. Small, very small, almost none-existent, but there none the less. He refused to believe otherwise.

Lee literally skipped to the door when the clock signalled it was time to leave.

 **Gaara POV**

 _That green roommate of mine really is a weird one,_ Gaara thought as he swiftly moved through the halls, absent-mindedly brushing a stray crimson strand of hair from his face.

 _ **Whoa, be careful there, better not get too friendly with him,**_ Shukaku scoffed, malice seeping through his voice.

"And why, my dear raccoon-faced bastard, is that?" Gaara accidentally hissed out loud.

 _ **If my excellent self is right, you haven't slept in a while, have you?**_

 _So?_

 _ **That means,**_ _ **my dear**_ _ **, that I might just have a little more control as you lose you slowly lose consciousness.**_ Shukaku sneered, and broke into laughter.

Gaara inaudibly gulped, and tensed. The monster was right, and it would be bad if that happened _again._

It had happened once before, when he was still living in his hometown in Japan. The villagers were always so mean, and blindly bullied Gaara, both the adults and children. Only two beings were ever nice to him, and that was his uncle, and a small raccoon-dog that had wandered into Suna one day, beaten senseless, and on the verge of death.

 **Flashback**

It had been early morning, and Gaara was sorrowfully watching the sun rise from behind the earth.

"Another day, huh. I wonder what horrific torture it has ruthlessly planned for me today." Gaara sighed as he petted the sleeping raccoon-dog in his lap. It stirred for a moment, then resumed its sleep. Gaara stared at Shukaku, and felt jealousy at his only friend's simple peace. Gaara kept his gaze on his small companion, but then tore his eyes away to glare at the figure that had appeared like lightning before him. His attacker wore a ski mask, disguising his face.

 _The coward,_ Gaara thought. _I deserve better opponents than this._

Gaara made quick work of the man, and as he dealt the final blow to his enemy, the mask slipped to the floor.

Gaara gasped, taking staggering steps back as he struggled for breath in shock.

His opponent in this match, was none other than his kind, caring, _lying_ , uncle. He was saturated with blood, and now wore a weak smile on his face.

"Ah, you got me," He chuckled, blood still seeping from the wound Gaara had- now regretfully- inflicted.

"Uncle, why?" Gaara stuttered, with a pained look.

"I have something to tell you, Gaara." His uncle whispered. Gaara leaned in, tears in his eyes.

"I never loved you. In fact I hated you. So what?! I hated the boy who killed my sister, my only, loving sister. She didn't deserve to die, but you, you _do_!" Gaara's uncle's voice had gradually raised during his small speech and he had now yelling madly, laughing and crying all at once.

"That's why you're a monster, Gaara, that's why everyone hates you. And I feel nothing! You deserve every word people say to you, the lot!"

Gaara had grown silent. His hands, that were In fists before then unclenched, and were now calmly swaying at his side.

A chuckle.

Another.

This chuckle soon turned into a full on laugh, and it didn't stop there. 'Gaara' threw his head back and laughed as hard as he could. Even Shukaku shuffled away from him, and all around shook from the force.

As Gaara raised his head, he was clearly not himself. He had a manical grin, and bright, eyes; eyes that held such insanity, such raw craziness.

"Is that so? Ja, who are you? Are you friend or foe? If you don't answer within the time limit, I might just kill you no matter what the answer." 'Gaara' asked in a sing-song voice. His uncle had stopped laughing by now and fear was slowly making its way back onto his sweat covered face.

"Too laate~" 'Gaara' said. He advanced, and mercilessly teared his uncle to shreds, _with his own hands and teeth, drinking the blood like water._

Once the deed was done, Gaara walked towards the edge of the village, holding on tight to his remaining friend, the only one he felt he could trust, so tight, he didn't realise he was choking the poor animal, thus killing it too.

 **End of Flashback**

Gaara had walked out of campus as he had been reminiscing, and started to chuckle quietly, as he clung to himself, feeling nothing but grief. He slowly slid down to the floor in an alleyway, just outside the college. The village that held Gaara's college was vast, and there were many secluded roads that led all the way to the bad part of town.

Gaara gripped his arms tighter as he recalled what had happened soon after that.

His father had tied him to a post, tortured him for two days and three nights in many ways, like dragging knives over him to peeling off the skin, and engraving kanji all over him, with the words 'love' on his forehead, a mysterious mark on his arm, 'monster' on his back and 'son-of-a-bitch' on his front, until finally letting him go. The police had then suddenly conveniently tracked the murder back to Gaara from the crime scene, and arrested him, not caring that he was a child and underage. He was held in a cell for 24 hours after that, and even then beaten by a man that was put in with him. That man had not been friendly. He had done, unspeakable things to him, things he would never tell anyone, for they were too embarrassing to tell. The man had raped him, and what was worse, was that the cops saw this, but did nothing to help, simply left for their next shift, or retired for the day.

A single tear ran Gaara's face as he rocked back and forth, trying to ease the memories that were still crystal clear.

 **Lee's POV**

Lee had been running around the city for his free, something that his Gym teacher had recommended on his first day. He was jogging slower now, trying to calm down enough to return to campus when he heard faint crying from one of the alleyways. Rushing to find the source of the noise, he gasped when he saw his red-haired roommate curled on the floor, rocking and crying.

"…Gaara?!"

* * *

 _ **Heya! I hope you liked this chapter! I hope you don't mind that Gaara seems to have longer POV time than Lee, it's a difficult thing to manage! And whoa, My poor Kawaii-Tanuki-chan just brokee~ Nooooooooo *worries about poor Gaara-chan***_

 _ **Well! Now we have set off!**_

 ** _UPDATE_**

 _ **I've decided that in this one, they're going to be together after all –is happy-**_

 _ **I hope you liked so please favourite, follow and review!**_

 _ **Yoruki.**_


	5. Chapter 5: Unforecast Rain

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, then all the characters would have Yaoi hands, 'cause I suck at ze drawing.**_

 _ **Italics: Thoughts or emphasis**_

 _ **Bold: Time, location, POV shifts**_

 _ **Bold Italics: Inner voices/ Author notes**_

* * *

 _Spilling water known as tears._ _Seeking a weakness called Love._

* * *

 **Lee's POV**

Lee had been running around the city for his free, something that his Gym teacher had recommended on his first day. He was jogging slower now, trying to calm down enough to return to campus when he heard faint crying from one of the alleyways. Rushing to find the source of the noise, he gasped when he saw his red-haired roommate curled on the floor, rocking and crying.

"…Gaara?!"

* * *

 **Back at the dorms**

As soon as Lee had seen Gaara like that, he ran, carrying the redhead bridal-style back to the dorm. Gaara had kept quiet most of the way, tears still running down his cheeks. Now, Lee watched silently as Gaara gingerly took the large cup of steaming coffee. It had plenty of cream and a tooth-rotting amount of sugar: Lee had seen Gaara prepare this particular brew often, too often for his liking, but who was he to criticize when he drank practically the same amount of sport drinks?

After a while of drinking, Gaara put the cup on the table. Lee decided this was his time to pounce.

"So Gaara, what have you been up to today? I-" He was cut of by Gaara, who looked him dead in the eye, and said,

"If you think I'm going to tell you why I was in such a state, think again." His voice was cold and monotonous.

Covering up the undeniable urge to shiver with a smile, Lee continued merrily "I see. Then I guess I won't push it then." He flashed his 'Nice Guy Pose' his gym teacher had taught him. That class was great...

 _Let us get back on track. Heheh, back 'on track'. God I love PE..._

He then realised Gaara was glaring at the floor, hands fidgeting, fingers cracking. In the short 4 days he had been here, he had learnt a little bit of 'Gaara language'. The redhead did this a lot in class when given a difficult question. This could only mean one thing.

Gaara was hesitating. Pondering about something important.

"Do you... really wish to know?" The redhead mumbled, just enough inflection for it to be recognised as a question.

"Well...yes... B-but not if you do not want to!" Lee exclaimed lamely, with hands up in defence. Ah, he didn't sound like himself today. But then again, neither did Gaara.

* * *

 **Gaara's POV**

"Okay." Gaara said with a sigh, and with a hand running through crimson locks, he began his explanation.

"I was always alone. My uncle... He was the only one who made that feeling leave, but only for a while. he would leave the house for days on end, leaving me to suffer the wrath of my father, my siblings, and the entire village. They all hated me because my father was the CEO of his business, and when his innocent, perfect wife died _tragically_ in childbirth, they apparently saw it just to make a certain 3 year old's life a living hell." He scowled. "When I _misbehaved_ , I was not merely scolded, as every other toddler was. I was thrown into the village prison, with the drug addicts, rapists and Yakusa. They didn't normally come anywhere near me, but once..." Gaara's grip tightened. "Once, however, that was not the case."

Gaara explained the death of his uncle, and his animal friend. Then the beating and _incident_ in the jail.

"The thing is, It wasn't really 'me'.There were reports of me acting strange like that after the death, and I was sent to an asylum, but they didn't see fit to keep me there. To them I was a 6 year old in shock, attitude changing because of grief. But then I was released. Things began to happen. I became an insomniac, every time I closed my eyes, I'd see that damned... Snake." His knuckles were white. "Committing such a sin... upon me." Gaara shook his head in an attempt to clear the image forming. "Anyway, the friend that I had bonded with somehow became a voice in my head, and after many years later, our family randomly moved halfway around the world.

By the time he was finished, the brunette's jaw was on the floor. How the taller boy had had managed that whilst standing, worried Gaara.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all this, I swore I wouldn't..." His speech had sped up towards the end of the sentence. Why had he told Lee this? He had promised to himself just that day he was never going to spill.

But surprisingly, the redhead realised he felt somewhat lighter than before. He didn't know why, but it seemed as though talking to the energetic bowl-cut made him feel better.

"No, It is fine. It is not good to bottle things inside." Lee was smiling. Gaara blinked, then offered a small smile in return.

* * *

 **Lee's POV**

"Wait, aren't you supposed to take medication for such symptoms?" Lee asked. Gaara merely shrugged.

"I don't know, It's been like this for ages, I kind of just forgot. It's not so bad. Well, not any more. Before I met Naruto though, that blond in our classes, I was a borderline psychopath with a thing for instigating fights, and everywhere I went, people would either cower or attempt to attack me. But Naruto was different. He wasn't scared, and he wasn't looking for conflict. He saved me." The redhead said, voice back at normal pace.

"That's good." Lee said, voice firm. "It's good you had someone there for you." He clapped his hands. "Okay then! Shall we call it a day then? Oh, wait, can you sleep now, or do you need something for that?" Gaara was surprised by the genuine concern in his voice.

"It's no problem, I have a pack of sleeping pills in my suitcase. It'll keep me asleep for a couple hours, and then I can watch TV or read." He assured.

"OK! Goodnight, Gaara."

"Goodnight, Lee. And thank you."

The two of them climbed into their beds, and turned of the light. Lee began to fall into deep slumber quickly. But before he was completely under, he thought he heard something.

"Aishiteru." A soft voice whispered in the dark room.

Lee shook his head. _'Aishiteru? What's that? I'll have to Joogle it..._ His consciousness was fading fast.

Ah well, if he remembered in the morning, he'd ask Gaara.

* * *

 _ **Heheh... Guess who the snake was... I'm evil I know 8D**_

 _ **Ahhh! Too bad Lee doesn't know Japanese! And was nearly asleep!**_

 _ **The quote at the top is from Sentimental android.**_

 _ **Sorry for not updating for a while, I was on holiday and the signal was terrible. But! This is here now! So smilee~**_

 _ **Word count: 1,139**_

 _ **Heh.**_


	6. Chapter 8: A picture paints a thousand

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Do you see a character in there called Yoruki? Nope, that's all the proof ya need.**_

 _ **Italics: Thoughts or emphasis**_

 _ **Bold: Time, location, POV shifts**_

 _ **Bold Italics: Inner voices/ Author notes**_

* * *

 _ **Recap**_

The two of them climbed into their beds, and turned of the light. Lee began to fall into deep slumber quickly. But before he was completely under, he thought he heard something.

"Aishiteru." A soft voice whispered in the dark room.

Lee shook his head. _'Aishiteru? What's that? I'll have to Joogle it..._ His consciousness was fading fast.

Ah well, if he remembered in the morning, he'd ask Gaara.

* * *

 **Gaara's POV**

Gaara had woken up to the dim morning light of 4:20. He sat up slowly, and peeled of his thick blanket and duvet. He wasn't one for the cold. Glancing over had his slightly snoring roommate, he pondered at Lee in disbelief. The boy couldn't _not_ catch hypothermia with such a flimsy bedspread, right? Gaara shook his head, only to be hit with a killer headache. Ah, not enough sleep. As he held his head in pain, he remembered what had happened yesterday.

 _... WalkingPainReminiscingSnakeAlleywayWeakTearsFoundYellingCoffeeMemoriesSecretsAi..shi..ter...u-_

... Oh hell no.

Gaara flopped back into his bed, and entombed himself in it. He silently prayed that his green roommate had fallen asleep before he heard those deadly, self destructing words. Gaara crossed his arms.

 _There is only one solution to this._

 _Act like it never even happened. Simple._

Gaara got up and out of bed once again, and trekked to the bathroom a couple of strides away. He opened his cabinet, to the left, and swung it open carelessly and brought out three bottles of small pills. The labels included imposing words like: 'Mood stabilizers' and 'neuroleptics' and 'atypical antipsycotics' He put them on the sink, next to the taps, stared at them for a few seconds, and was faced with the question he asked himself everyday.

 _Should I take these?_

And of course, that dammed Racoon-dog, as always, made his appearance.

 ** _No, Gaara. Why would you want to do that?_**

 _I hate you._

A jolt of pain. Punishment _._ He staggered.

 ** _Don't say that, you're all alone, you need me._**

 _No I don't._

Another, harder this time.

Enough to make Gaara gag, hold onto the sink tightly as a last attempt to stay standing, and his hands turning white from the grip.

 ** _You need me, you do,_** Shukaku purred.

 ** _-and my wonderful self is here to be with you. So don't send me away, like you did all those years ago. You were always so careless back then, and it's never nice to be choked to death, so you need to make it up to your dear Shukaku._** The last words cut deep like a knife though butter.

It was always the same.

With malice, tinted in those smiling eyes.

Hate, laced in with that cursed, _fake_ kindness.

It was always those same damned words that were pulling him into this disgustingly real nightmare.

But Gaara still lost every time.

How inconvenient.

Giving out a large defeated sigh, He practically threw the pill bottles back in the wood and plastic cabinet. Gaara gripped his hair angrily, and glared up at the mirror above his crutch/sink. He looked a mess. The dark circles that ran around his eyes seemed to look even more pronounced today, if that was even possible. Gaara then pulled himself up from the cold sink and turned to the side. Was he a little... too skinny? He didn't eat that much, it never occurred to him. He now, unfortunately, had the body of an anorexic 16 year old, thanks to his height. Perhaps he could start going to the gym... No. he didn't want to be all muscled, it wouldn't suit him.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and walked back into his room. He was in a bad mood now. Only one thing could cure it.

 _Coffee._

* * *

 **Lee's Pov**

Lee woke up to bright sunshine on his face. The dorm was planned out in a way that the sun streaked out, past Gaara's bed and straight onto his face. He jumped up out of bed, his duvet falling quickly off of the metal-framed bed. It was now common practice to look over to his right and say "Good morning, Gaara!" to his red-haired roommate, who was at the window, like he was every morning. Lee grinned, He had all the same classes with him today!

It wasn't like he didn't have any friends, Lee had made many- A panda-like girl named TenTen, a boy (who could _totally_ try out for drag) named Neji, a pink-haired girl named Sakura, a blond energetic boy named Naruto, a dark (often vacant or late) character Sasuke, a long blonde-haired girl named Ino, a lazy but clever boy named Shikamaru, and a _big-boned_ boy named Chouji! Gaining friends was child-play.

For him, anyway. For Gaara, it seemed almost painful.

At least the red-head had one. The blond boy, Naruto. They seemed to go way back.

 _Well, time to get ready!_ Lee suddenly thought, walking into the bathroom for a shower.

Wait...

Was he forgetting something? Eh, if it was important, he'd remember sooner or later. With a shrug, he flicked the switch.

* * *

 **Cafeteria - Lunch**

Lee was sitting with Gaara and a few of his classmates when he remembered he needed to check his pigeon hole for mail.

"I'll have to go, mail." He said cheerfully to the group. He recieved a couple of groans and dramatic farewells, and his roommate nodded, making his way to their dorm.

"Get mine as well, please. Headache." The shorter boy grunted. Gaara hadn't looked very well when he had said that, and walked away briskly, leaving no room for a reply.

He was delighted when he discovered that he had mail, and mentally reminded himself to tell Gaara he had none.

The letter read:

* * *

 _Dear Lee,_

 _I can't take this life any longer. Forgive me, my son, for when you read this I shall be within the earth. But I must tell you, for I fear I never will; I never meant to have you. I only regret it on days like today. This is my release from the world._

 _It's funny how days pass, leaving everyone wishing for eternal darkness. There is no peace in life. I pray you do not fall victim to it._

 _Farewell, Your Mother._

* * *

 _Lee,_

 _If you have just read the note above you'll know the act that your mother has committed. I have no words about this._

 _There is to be a funeral coming within the month. I shall inform you of the location and date in a later letter._

 _Your Father._

* * *

This left Lee feeling numb.

One minute passed.

Two.

Five.

Then it began. Like pins and needles all over his body. He felt it all. Hurt - obviously - indescribable sadness. But he was Lee. Lee didn't get _sad_.

He just didn't.

Tears pricked his eyes, and he gripped the letter in the envelope, and ran to his dorm.

* * *

 **Dorms, Gaara POV**

Because of the oncoming headache Gaara could feel, he was staring at the ceiling. It was one of those strange ones where the paint added texture to the wall. It was white, with discolouration every so often. It was a rippling 3D effect, and he immersed himself in every small detail in the work. Eventually, this grew to be a difficult task to keep all his attention on.

Gaara was bored.

 _ **Hey, If you wanna solve that, why not jump out of the window, you'll feel so much better.**_ Shukaku chuckled.

 _Yeah...NO._

 ** _Just a suggestion. Hey, why don't you jump out that window?_**

 _You're bored too, aren't you?_

 ** _Yup. Look, wanna jump?_**

 _No, shut up._

Scratch that. Gaara _and_ Shukaku were bored.

 ** _Come on, don't you want to end your miserable life?_**

 _No._

 ** _Juuuummmppp._**

 _No._

 ** _You'll be doing the world a favour, really._**

 _Why should I let the world have its way? No._

 ** _Don't you wanna kill yourself before someone else does? Like me, for example?_**

"For the last time, NO!" Gaara yelled, just as Lee ran into the room. He froze as the older teen silently threw himself on the bed, something in his grasp.

Unsure what he should do, a deafening silence ensued.

* * *

 **20 Minutes later**

"Um, are you alright?" Gaara asked, just a little to quickly. This was new. why was Lee so sad? Usually he was like a green version of Naruto.

"Wonderful." Woah, it had to be bad if Lee was using _sarcasm_. He barely knew what it was, let alone how to use it properly.

"Want to talk?" He said cautiously. He couldn't think of anything that would make Lee sad, but just looking at him like that made Gaara upset. He wanted to find whatever or whoever made him like this, and destroy the source.

His roommate merely threw a bit of paper at him.

Gaara read it swiftly, and his eyes grew wide.

 _What?_

"Lee, are you okay? You are okay, right? Come on, you're Lee. Come on." Gaara said awkwardly. He wasn't used to cheering people up.

"I'm... I don't know." Was the reply, lacking in inflection. This was worrying.

Gaara played with the paper in his hands, then noticed something else was in the envelope. A picture. He picked it up carefully and turned it around. It was a picture of a grinning toddler, Lee and two Adults. One had long coal coloured hair, with a soft but also strong face and heavy clothes, whilst the other was short with a bob hair style and was wearing a simple black wavy dress. She was also wearing a purple hat, so it was difficult to tell exactly what her face looked like, but enough of it was visible to give a satisfactory image.

"Lee, did you see this photo?" Lee shook his head into his pillow.

"What photo?" His voice muffled. When Gaara sat next to him to show it, fat tears ran down the taller boy's round cheeks. Lee grabbed onto Gaara, surprising him, but he soon recovered and began to pat his back gently. After a while, the older boy fell asleep in Gaara's arms. The red-head was content just watching him. He pulled out his phone, and informed the school office that he and his room-mate were to be labelled absent for their next lesson.

* * *

 ** _Whoa! That was kinda long!_**

 ** _Now Gaara has an excuse to hug him... Heh..._**

 ** _Word count: 1,832_**

 ** _See ya!_**

 ** _Yoruki._**


	7. Chapter 7: Who's This?

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But if only I could have one... *gives masashi puppy-dog eyes***_

 _ **Masashi: Iie.**_ ** _Ie ni kaerimasu_** _ **yo. -smiles-**_

 _ **me: *glares* nani ga iu masu ka? *pouts***_

 _ **Italics: Thoughts or emphasis**_

 _ **Bold: Time, location, POV shifts**_

 _ **Bold Italics: Inner voices/ Author notes**_

* * *

 **Lee's POV**

Lee groggily awoke to the start of another day. Because he'd fallen asleep crying, he now felt terrible. Recalling his behaviour last night, he went to jump up from his bed, only to find he wasn't in his bed at all.

He was in _Gaara's._

And sitting beside him, with a slightly worried expression, was said red-haired room-mate. Concern was brushed over his pale face, but that soon faded when Lee relaxed again.

"Are you okay now... or do I need to call the floor reps?" Gaara asked slowly, quietly, and almost cautiously.

 _Oh wait, He's Gaara, he probably is panicking on the inside... _Lee thought with a small smile.

"I am fine now. It was merely a shock to me... heh..." The taller boy laughed sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head.

Gaara replied with a 'Hn.', just staring out the window oh so far away. Lee decided to continue and change the conversation.

"So, what do you think of the reps, anyway?" Gaara looked at him, and seemed to be frozen, like an old computer taking its time to answer. Eventually he replied.

"Those two? They're okay I guess, I prefer Izumo to Kotetsu, though." The smaller one said, and he started to get up. "There's something I want to ask you though..."

"What is is?" Lee questioned, one bushy brow raised.

"There was a girl next to your mother in _that_ photo, but you've never mentioned her before. She's... Pretty. Who is it?" The insomniac practically whispered.

"Lee looked down, and replied just as softly "That would be my sister. Interested?" He asked cockily, a smile growing round his face.

"That's not it, you two just look really alike, I was curious." Gaara stated quickly, and Lee could of sworn he saw the makings of a small blush threatening to show on the boy's cheeks.

"Haha, whatever you say, boss!" Lee laughed. "Well, that was my sister, and we were twins, so it's understandable that we look similar."

"Were? Ah I see. Wanna head to breakfast, I only have two lessons near the end of the day, actually. You should have something akin to that, right?" The red haired boy said, seeming to have recovered.

"Yeah, I have three. one at ten, then at the same times as you." The taller of the two informed him.

"Let's go then, it's 7:52."

"Where?"

"Ramen stand? We might see Naruto."

* * *

 **Gaara's POV**

The two arrived at the stand, Ichiraku, was its name. Naruto was sitting down already, of course, wolfing down bowl after bowl. And next to him, was an eyebrow twitching Sasuke. The brunnette had brought a salad with him, and was eating it with a look close to disgust. Naruto was the loudest and sloppiest eater alive.

"Hi, Naruto, Uchiha." Gaara greeted. The pair turned to face the redhead, and both waved.

"Nice to see you. This dobe's dragged me out this morning, insisting that I pay. For that reason, I brought my own lunch so the shop doesn't run out of food." The Uchiha smirked, putting a piece of leaf in his mouth with a spork. He was hit over the head with a pair of chopsticks and his eyebrow twitched yet again.

"Dobe! What did I tell you about that? It's _rude_!" He yelled.

"But Sasuke-teme~" Naruto whined, Gaara thought he sounded like a child told he couldn't have any-more sweets.

"Nope, I'm not paying the bill for any more bowls, either, you're on your own. Perhaps this will teach you to-" Sasuke was cut of by the yellow Kitsune's pout. He stared at the tall blond for a few seconds, before caving and put his head on the table in despair, passing Naruto his wallet.

"I hate you." He said in defeat.

"Love you too, buddy." The blond grinned his foxy grin.

Gaara smiled at the two boys. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a smile, so much an upturning of the sides of his lips, but it counted, so...

Lee and himself sat down on the stools and ordered some good ol' miso. _Ah, joy. Nothing like a classic to remind you of home._ Gaara thought bitterly. At least he didn't have to return home for a while. If he was lucky, he could buy a car or something, and escape even after his short stay at college.

* * *

 **A while later...**

The four of them, now finished and grateful for their food, were getting ready to return to their dorms. As they were turning the last block, Gaara bumped into someone. Bright black eyes stared directly into pale green. Bushed brows met none at all. Long black hair brushed against his own short red hair and pale skin.

"Oh! I'm so sorry-" She began, only to be interrupted by the brash blond.

"Hey, you two look real alike! You related or something?" Naruto asked Lee with a face-splitting smile.

"Do not be silly Naruto, I do not have any-" He began.

"Lee? Is that you?" The blushing girl asked, dumbstruck.

* * *

 ** _Heya._**

 ** _How you been?_**

 ** _I haven't been on here very much, I got too much homework, mostly. but my parents began threatening to put all my manga on the fire if I get behind... Heh._**

 ** _Plez forg8t abt it *passes you a suspicious book 21 special edition of Vampire knight* Juuusttt forgettt~_**

 ** _See you soon! Hey, I might put a poll up later on in this, so * cheesy cartoon voice* StAy TuNeD!1!1!1_**

 ** _Word count: 998_**

 ** _Yoruki._**


End file.
